The duo has formed a very strong bond, as has Verstappen with his partner’s daughter, Penelope.

Penelope’s father is ex-F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, who Verstappen actually replaced at Red Bull back at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

Kelly dated Kvyat prior to meeting Verstappen, before their relationship concluded in 2019.

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Verstappen and Penelope are often seen together in the 26-year-old’s home in Monte-Carlo, when the Red Bull driver is streaming his simulator racing on Twitch.

Many fans of Verstappen have commented in the past about how strong Verstappen’s bond is with Penelope; however, the three-time World Champion has stressed that he’s not trying to become her father.

Verstappen recognises the importance of getting on well with the four-year-old but has insisted that she has a “good relationship” with her father, Kvyat.

“I’m not the father, that’s not the aim,” Verstappen told TIME.

“It’s always very important that she has a good relationship with her own father, which she has.

“But I see her every day when I’m at home. We get on very well. She’s very cute.”

As mentioned, Penelope is often seen on Verstappen’s streams, whilst he’s racing in his simulator.

Whether it’s a real circuit or a virtual one, Verstappen is never far away from a racetrack, with him admitting that racing is basically the only thing he’s “passionate about”.

“I watch other sports, but there’s nothing really that I’m really passionate about,” Verstappen said.

Verstappen is just as fast in the virtual world as he is in the real one, with him having competed in some of the biggest sim races in the world.

If you want to make some bets on Max Verstappen races, you can visit this site https://ind.1xbet.com/line/formula-1.

READ: Zak Brown admits Lando Norris is a target amid Red Bull interest

In the interview with TIME, Kelly joked that she sometimes has to tell the reigning World Champion to come away from his simulator and remind him that the “sun is shining outside”.

“There have been times where I’ve been like, ‘OK, time to switch off’,” Piquet said.

“You have to give a gentle reminder that the sun is shining outside and, you know, there are other things to do.”

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Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as their development driver at the start of 2023 following the termination of his deal at McLaren; however, he found himself in a race seat again mid-season.

The eight-time Formula 1 race winner was chosen as Nyck de Vries’ replacement at AlphaTauri – known now as Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) – and performed well enough to be offered the seat for 2024.

Ricciardo has settled back into the Red Bull sister team extremely well and is viewed as a great person to have in the side following their rebrand.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

It’s no secret, though, that Ricciardo has bigger ambitions than racing for VCARB, as he’s openly admitted that he wants to race for Red Bull again.

With Sergio Perez being out of contract at the conclusion of 2024, a strong season for Ricciardo could put him in with a shot of promotion for the second time in his F1 career.

Regardless of whether Red Bull promote him in 2025 or not, Marko has stressed that Mercedes are not allowed to poach the Australian to replace Lewis Hamilton, who is leaving the Silver Arrows at the end of this year.

Hamilton is switching to Ferrari for 2025 after signing a “multi-year” contract, which will take him into the new power unit regulations in 2026 with the Italians.

Mercedes will likely want a big name to replace the seven-time World Champion, something Ricciardo certainly is.

However, it won’t be the 34-year-old alongside George Russell at Mercedes in 2025.

READ: Who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?

“Ricciardo still has a long-term contract and is not available (for Mercedes),” Marko told publication F1 Insider.

The main drivers to have been linked with Hamilton’s seat so far are Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, with all three being without a contract currently for 2025.

Despite being without a deal, Albon and Alonso will both stand a great chance of being offered a new deal by their current teams, whilst Sainz must find a new team as it’s him who Hamilton is replacing.

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2024 will be Hamilton’s 12th and final campaign with the Silver Arrows, although his ties to the German manufacturer date back to when he was just 13 years old.

Hamilton owes an incredible amount to Mercedes and vice versa, with the duo being the most successful partnership in the history of Formula 1.

However, the seven-time World Champion believes that it’s time to change teams one last team, before he calls it a day on his career.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

Racing for Ferrari is something very few drivers get the privilege of doing and Hamilton has admitted in the past that it’s something he’d love to do one day.

That day will come next year, as part of a “two-year” deal with the Maranello-based team which will see him replace Carlos Sainz.

Being a multi-year contract, it does mean Hamilton will enter the new power unit regulations in red in 2026.

The big question though, is who will follow the 39-year-old from Mercedes to Ferrari?

Mercedes’ head of track performance Riccardo Musconi is rumoured to be interested in following the 103-time race winner to Maranello, whilst Wolff has already held talks with Hamilton’s race engineer.

Hamilton has worked with Bono ever since he joined the Brackley-based side in 2013, mean six of his seven titles have been claimed with the same race engineer in his ear.

Given how long they’ve worked together, some wonder whether Bono could follow Hamilton out of the Mercedes exit door, something which will be discussed “in the future”.

Comically, when Wolff first informed Bono of 2024 being Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes, the race engineer questioned if it was April fools’ day.

READ: Who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?

“I think this is a discussion that everyone will have to have in the coming months,” Wolff explained to AUTOhebdo.

“I’ve already spoken to Bono. When I told him about [Lewis Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari], he asked me: ‘Is it April 1st?’.

“This is something we will discuss in the future.”

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suddenly finds himself with an empty seat for next year, following last Thursday’s huge announcement that Hamilton is leaving them for Ferrari at the end of 2024.

2024 will be Hamilton’s 12th and final campaign as a Silver Arrows driver, bringing a relationship which started when he was just 13 years old to an end.

The seven-time World Champion has been offered a huge deal to make a dream of his come true and race in the famous red.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

Whilst Hamilton’s career is now sorted until at least the end of 2026 after signing a “multi-year” contract with Ferrari, Wolff has an enormous gap to fill.

Wolff needs to sign a very special driver to replace Hamilton, given the hole the 103-time World Champion is leaving.

Mercedes do have young sensation Kimi Antonelli available for promotion in 2025, if he gets enough points on his super licence this year in what’ll be his debut Formula 2 campaign.

Antonelli is seen as the next big thing; however, Wolff will want to give the young driver time to develop.

A short-term option could be more suitable then, with Button believing that Alonso is the perfect candidate.

Button’s “man crush” is out of contract at Aston Martin when 2024 concludes, meaning he is currently available for free for 2025.

Alonso is 42 years old but he remains as determined as ever, something he proved last year where he claimed eight podiums.

The Spaniard is also on good terms with George Russell, who he’s been seen partying with before.

READ: Who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?

It could be the ideal final swansong for Alonso, especially if Mercedes have a car which can compete for victories next year.

“Alongside George [Russell]? I might have a man crush on my ex-team-mate Fernando Alonso,” Button told the Sky Sports F1 YouTube channel.

“I’d love to see Fernando Alonso. He is 42 now but I think but the hunger is there. If the hunger is there, the fitness is there. He drives every day. He’s driving a go-kart or some form of race kart. If it’s there, I think it’d be a cool partnership. I think they’d learn from each other pretty well and I think they’d work well together.”

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The world was left stunned last Thursday when it was announced that the seven-time World Champion will be leaving Mercedes at the conclusion of the 2024 Formula 1 season, to complete a dream transfer to Ferrari.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Maranello in 2025, with the 103-time race winner having signed a “multi-year” contract.

Most view it as the biggest switch in the history of the sport and it’s easy to see why.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

To ensure that his family didn’t find out about the move via social media, the Mercedes driver called his loved ones, including his brother.

Nicolas revealed on Instagram that his brother kept messaging him asking if he could call, although it was initially delayed as the BTCC driver was at dinner.

However, he finally managed to speak to Nicolas, who found somewhere quiet to talk where nobody was around.

“So, if anyone doesn’t know, I do public speaking, right,” Nicolas said during an Instagram live.

“So I was doing a public speech actually for Coke yesterday, Coca-Cola.

“Lewis called me the night before and I was at dinner, so I said: ‘Hey bro, I’ll call you back when I can’ and then I called him later at night and he didn’t pick up and he told me that he was in bed, so I was like ‘ok, no worries.’

“And then he said: ‘are you around?’ I said: ‘oh, I’m just heading into work, I’ve got a speech to do.’ I said I’ll catch you later tonight because I’ll be free.

“And he was like: ‘I could really do with speaking to you now.’ And so, I was like: ‘ok, give me five minutes’ and then he said: ‘are you in a place where you can talk?’ And I said yeah.

“But [Lewis said] can you talk without anyone hearing? And I was like yeah.

READ: Who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?

“Then he said: ‘So, I’m going to Ferrari in 2025.’ I was like: ‘Woah! Oh my god! Are you joking? That’s crazy!”

Lewis and Nicolas are very close, with both drivers having been seen in each others garage on several occasions.

Nicolas actually had his brother in attendance when racing at Donington Park last year, where he achieved his best result in the UK series.

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It was confirmed on Thursday evening that Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season, to complete a switch to Ferrari after signing a “multi-year” contract.

The seven-time World Champion will replace Carlos Sainz, who is now without a seat for next year.

Mercedes also now have work to do ahead of 2025, as they need to find a suitable candidate to replace the 103-time race winner.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

With there being several drivers out of contract at the conclusion of 2024, Mercedes has plenty of options in their search for a new teammate for George Russell

Carlos Sainz

The first – and perhaps most obvious – option is Sainz.

Sainz is a race winner and was the only non-Red Bull driver to be victorious in 2023, at the Singapore Grand Prix.

He is a very talented driver who was praised last year for his consistent results, something Mercedes will need in their new driver as Hamilton was very reliable.

Whilst Sainz perhaps doesn’t have the same raw pace as Hamilton or Russell, he has proven to be an excellent number two driver and could even surprise a few people without the pressure of the Tifosi.

Alex Albon

Alex Albon is another driver out of contract at the conclusion of 2024 and is on the wishlist of several teams.

Red Bull and Alpine have both been linked to the Thai driver; however, as he currently drivers for a customer Mercedes team – Williams – a move to Brackley could be on the cards.

At 27 years old, Albon is reaching the peak of his career performance-wise and has proven that he can lead a time.

He scored regular points for Williams in 2023 and was often in Q3, suggesting that in a Mercedes he could compete consistently for big points.

Fernando Alonso

If Mercedes simply want a short-term solution, then Fernando Alonso is arguably the right driver to sign.

The two-time World Champion is out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of 2024, and whilst he’s reportedly keen on staying with the Silverstone-based outfit, he’d likely be foolish to turn down team principal Toto Wolff.

Moving to Mercedes could be Alonso’s final chance at fighting for wins and potentially even a championship, especially if he were to enter the new power unit regulations with them in 2026.

Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes might be on the hunt for a short-term driver so they can allow the incredibly talented Kimi Antonelli to grow up a little.

READ: FIA to continue speaking to F1 amid Andretti rejection

Antonelli is a Mercedes junior driver and is only 17 years old, he’s also the reigning FRECA Champion and is jumping up to Formula 2 this year with PREMA Racing.

He is viewed as the next big thing and the biggest talent since Max Verstappen, so there is a chance that if he performs well in his debut F2 campaign, that Mercedes take a risk and put Antonelli straight into Hamilton’s seat.

McLaren got lucky in 2007 when they put Hamilton straight into the team after winning the 2006 GP2 title, perhaps Mercedes can do the same with Antonelli.

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The huge news announced this week is that Hamilton will be a Ferrari driver in 2025, with 2024 being his 12th and final campaign with Mercedes.

Hamilton has agreed a “multi-year” deal with the famous side, meaning he’ll enter the new power unit regulations in 2026 as a Ferrari driver.

He’s replacing Carlos Sainz who is now without a seat for next year, although there are plenty of seats currently available.

READ: Lewis Hamilton warned to stop crying ‘too much’

Very few saw the switch coming, especially as Hamilton only signed a two-year extension with Mercedes ahead of last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

It turns out though, that he has a clause in his new deal which allows him to depart at the end of the upcoming season.

Russell has also been caught off-guard by the announcement it seems, as he believed that the 103-time race winner would remain with the Silver Arrows.

“What do you think about Lewis going to Ferrari?” Channel 4 presenter Steve Jones asked Russell last year jokingly.

“That won’t happen,” insisted Russell. “You read it in The Daily Mail, was it? I don’t know what would happen before that, but… who knows.”

Whilst the move is a surprise, Hamilton was linked to Ferrari several times last season before signing his new deal, which is why Russell was asked about the Briton moving to the Italians in the first place.

When Hamilton was rumoured with a Ferrari switch last year though, both parties insisted that there was no truth in the speculation.

READ: FIA to continue speaking to F1 amid Andretti rejection

It’s arguably the biggest driver transfer potentially in the history of the sport or at least since the end of 2012 when Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes.

Hamilton’s departure from the Brackley-based side at the end of the year will be an emotional one, considering he’s been tied to the German manufacturer since he was 13 years old.

For Russell, it’s possibly a chance to become Mercedes’ leader, although a lot of that seemingly depends on who team principal Toto Wolff signs to replace Hamilton.

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Brundle made the comments last year when Hamilton was rumoured with a move to Ferrari, something which looked unlikely when the seven-time World Champion signed a two-year extension with the side.

However, Thursday evening stunned the world, as it was confirmed that Hamilton will race in red in 2025.

Hamilton is replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari following the 2024 season, which will be his 12th and final campaign with Mercedes.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

The 103-time race winner will partner Charles Leclerc for at least two seasons, after agreeing a “multi-year” deal.

It’s been viewed by many as the biggest driver transfer in the history of the sport, with Brundle having commented last year when it was rumoured that he’d “love” to see the British driver try to replicate Michael Schumacher’s success.

“With my Sky F1 cap on and my F1 cap on, I would love to see Lewis in a Ferrari and go there and try and do a Michael Schumacher and win a championship there,” Brundle said last May to Sky Sports. “I think it’d be a wonderful story for next year.”

Whilst Hamilton racing for Ferrari is something most only dreamed of happening, it’s very soon going to be a reality.

However, Ferrari aren’t in a much better situation than Mercedes currently and are also comfortably behind Red Bull.

Whether Hamilton has high hopes for 2025 remains unknown or if he’s actually looking ahead to 2026 when the new power unit regulations are introduced.

READ: FIA to continue speaking to F1 amid Andretti rejection

Regardless, Brundle believes Hamilton can’t simply fix the Italians problems by jumping into the car, as the side itself just aren’t good enough currently.

“You would think so, but I’m a fan of Carlos Sainz as well, they’ve got a very dynamic young partnership there, Brundle said.

“Ferrari’s problem at the moment is not their driver line-up, it’s their car, it’s not fast enough. So that’s where they need to focus. Lewis Hamilton can’t just turn up and sort Ferrari’s issues out single-handedly by pressing the throttle pedal and turning the steering wheel.”

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The announcement was made Thursday evening, with Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari next year after agreeing to a “multi-year” contract.

It’s already been dubbed as the biggest driver transfer in the history of the sport, making it no surprise that Red Bull wanted a piece of the action.

Red Bull posted a hilarious tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote: “Well… emergency podcast?”

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

Along with the tweet they posted an image of Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc in the famous Las Vegas Grand Prix limo, which took the trio from parc ferme to where they were being invited halfway round the circuit.

It was a comical few minutes of viewing back at the Las Vegas GP, as the trio discussed their battle for the lead and the race in general, almost like they had formed a podcast.

Hamilton moving to Ferrari is certainly a big moment, as it’ll likely kickstart an early introduction of the 2024 silly season.

With a rare seat now available at Mercedes for next year, several drivers will be looking to perform at their very best to impress the Silver Arrows.

Whether Red Bull are worried remains to be seen, considering that Hamilton is going to improve Ferrari and make them more competitive.

Ferrari were actually the only team last season other than Red Bull to win a race, courtesy of Sainz being victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix.

With Hamilton, most would expect the Italians to be a bigger threat at least in 2025.

READ: FIA to continue speaking to F1 amid Andretti rejection

It’s certainly a strange situation, given that Hamilton has to now complete the 2024 campaign for Mercedes whilst knowing he’s leaving for a rival side the following campaign.

Even for Mercedes, it’s not an ideal position to be in, especially if they want to understand what direction to work in for 2025 and beyond.

What isn’t expected to happen in 2024 is Hamilton win the Drivers’ Championship, although that would be the perfect way to leave Mercedes.

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Silly season has gotten underway earlier than ever before, with Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari having caught everybody off-guard.

Hamilton only signed a two-year contract extension with the Silver Arrows midway through the 2023 season, tying him down to the Germans for 2024 and 2025.

However, it appears that the 39-year-old has an exit clause in his Mercedes deal, as he’ll be a Ferrari driver for 2025.

READ: Lewis Hamilton warned to stop crying ‘too much’

The seven-time World Champion is going to be replacing Carlos Sainz, whose contract expires at the end of this year.

It means Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc, who only recently signed a multi-year contract extension with the Maranello-based squad.

Following the breaking news, which was first reported on Thursday morning, it’s since been revealed that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff held a team meeting in the afternoon, where he informed them that Hamilton would be departing.

According to Sky Sports, the meeting lasted around 10 minutes, with several staff having only gone to the team’s base purely for Wolff’s announcement.

It all means that a Mercedes seat will be up for grabs for the 2025 season, whilst Ferrari’s lineup is confirmed for at least next year.

“We can confirm that Hamilton is going to Ferrari for the 2025 season,” Sky Sports’ Rachel Brookes reported, whilst standing outside Mercedes’ Brackley base.

“Staff at the Brackley base have been told that’s what is happening.

“The meeting lasted about 10 minutes or so.

“We saw the staff arriving and, within 10 to 14 minutes, they were leaving again.

“They were told that Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season.

“It is huge news throughout motorsport.

READ: V-CARB make major signings including ex-FIA staff

“He looked as though he’d end his career with the Mercedes team. They have backed him with his initiatives on-track and off-track.

“But he will be leaving to wear the red of Ferrari.

“He drives Ferraris around his home in Monaco and now he will drive the Ferrari Formula 1 car. Their launch is next week.”

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